Yeager Named New County DES Coordinator
Derek Yeager has been named as Yellowstone County’s new Disaster and Emergency Services (DES) Director, following the resignation of “KC” Williams, who served as director for the past five and a half years. KC Williams has taken a position with
County Invokes Stage 1 Fire Restrictions
Given the extreme heat of the past couple weeks, the country side is drying out, creating a tinder box of dry vegetation that can leap into flames at the slightest spark. The conditions are such that Yellowstone County Commissioners urge extreme caution and are implementing Stage 1 Fire Restrictions. The restrictions have been recommended by
County Responds to City’s Offer On Temporary Holding Facility
In advancing the agreement between the city and the county in the building of a short-term holding facility (STHF), the County Commissioners responded this week to the Billings City Council’s offer in February to contribute a total of $2 million to the cost. The temporary holding facility will be built to hold inmates for only […]
Signal Peak Closure Would Mean Loss of 260 Jobs
Signal Peak Coal Mine near Roundup is “in jeopardy”, President and CEO of Signal Peak, Parker Phipps, told Yellowstone County Commissioners last week. And, if it is in jeopardy, so are the jobs of its 260 workers – two thirds of which live in Yellowstone County. And, so are the approximately $211 million in taxes […]
Ellis to Remain on County Water District Board Following Court Decision that Board Lacked Authority to Remove Her
Following a closed session of the County Water District board, last Wednesday, Board President Doug Kary announced that the board had unanimously agreed to accept a settlement offer from Pam Ellis and Yellowstone County. The County Water District accepted the defendants’ offer that the district pay for $9500 of the defendants’ legal costs and to […]
Lockwood Business Provides ‘Concrete on Demand’
Lockwood business, Rocky Mountain Compost (RMC), announced recently the purchase of a volumetric concrete mixing truck which they predict will make fresh concrete more available and less expensive in the Billings area. The “CemenTech,” as it’s called, can mix fresh concrete on-the-go and allows an operator to serve multiple customers in one run. Co-owners Bryce […]
Signal Peak Energy Shafted? That is why ranchers and landowners joined NPRC, BMLA and others
Dear Editor, Signal Peak Energy Shafted? I am writing in response to the article claiming Bull Mountain landowners were somehow “shafting” the corrupt coal mining operation south of Roundup. To claim that Signal Peak is “getting shafted” is wildly inaccurate. Not only is the company being coddled by the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), but […]
Judge Sets New Dates for Water District Case Against County, Ellis
Following something of an impasse at a court hearing on October 23, District Court Judge Colette B. Davies said she would allow the County’s appointee to the County Water District Board, Pam Ellis, to file a counter suit against the Water District Board; the Judge has issued a schedule to allow Ellis to do so. […]
Committee Set to Examine Solutions to Local Crime
At every corner one can hear people in Yellowstone County claim that more jail space is needed to combat the rising crime rate. But many county officials are dubious that that would solve the problem. They point to other aspects of the judicial system that are creating bottlenecks that keep the jail full and allow […]
Fire Restrictions Go into Effect on July 1
Yellowstone County will adopt fire restrictions that will go into effect on July 1, even though the county has received seven inches of rain since the beginning of May and the countryside has never looked so green. But all that green is the rapid growth of a lot of vegetation, which once it starts drying […]